mixed feelings and maid cafés
by candycity
Summary: Mikan needs money. Hotaru needs entertainment. Fortunately, the Valentine's Day carnival is coming up - and there is nothing Hotaru finds more entertaining than watching Natsume squirm. It's the perfect opportunity. NatsuMikan.
1. Chapter 1

They stare at the wreckage of a good three month's allowance in silence.

"Hyuuga Natsume," Mikan says in a tone that is curiously, uncharacteristically emotionless, "_what did you do._"

Natsume has the decency to look slightly ashamed. Under his breath, he mutters, "_You_ started it."

There is a sharp intake of breath around the room, and Mikan narrows her eyes.

Hotaru mentally does a countdown. _And three – two – one – _

_"What the fuck did you just say?"_

**:.:**

**[ ONE WEEK EARLIER ]**

"_Hotaruuuuu_," Mikan whines, dragging the last syllable in a way that is affectionately obnoxious, "I'm broke. Again. Help me."

Her best friend glances at her without sympathy. "It's your fault for spending all your money on those Fluff Puffs."

"I don't spend all my money on candy, you know," Mikan says with dignity. "I send half of my allowance home to Jii-chan. I still feel guilty for taking all his savings, and besides, he doesn't have an income."

Hotaru sighs and puts down her textbook. "Look, Mikan, if you need money – and for what reason, I have no idea –"

"It's Ruka-pyon's birthday next month," Mikan interjects, "I've been meaning to get him that anniversary photo-exclusive edition of that magazine he subscribes to –"

"—you shouldn't be encouraging him to stare at pictures of animals for hours on end, anyway, Mikan –"

"- and that," Mikan finishes delicately, "that is the reason why I need money."

"Well, if you're so desperate to indulge that idiot," Hotaru says, with a slight air of impatience, ignoring Mikan's protest of _don't call him an idiot, Hotaru, he's your boyfriend after all_, "why don't you just earn it? All this crab roe doesn't pay for itself, you know."

"What do you do?" Mikan asks, despite herself. Hotaru shrugs and carefully applies a fresh coat of lip gloss.

"I auction off my inventions on eBay," she says casually, "but since that's impossible for you, I have an idea."

"Ooh, tell me!" Mikan asks eagerly. A small smirk crosses Hotaru's usually expressionless face.

"Well," Hotaru drawls, "isn't it almost time for the Valentine's Day carnival?"

**:.:**

"You did _what_?"

Ruka gazes at his girlfriend, who serenely sips from her caramel latte like she didn't just pull the trigger on World War III. Hotaru leans over the table until she is barely five inches away from his face, and looks up at him through her lashes. Ruka swallows as he catches a hint of strawberry-scented lip gloss.

"You're on my side, aren't you?" Hotaru asks sweetly. He groans.

"Natsume's going to _kill_ me."

"Don't be ridiculous," she says briskly. "Besides, aren't you tired of them dancing around each other all the time and always clinging to us? Don't you think we need a little more –" she gives him a small, mischievous smile, "—_alone_ time?"

Heat rises to his face as he covers his eyes with his hands. "You don't play fair, Imai," he complains.

A small smile flits across her face. "I never did. And besides," she continues in a slight singsong, "if Natsume really _couldn't care less about what Polka Dot does_ –""

"_Don't_ imitate him," Ruka interjects with a shudder, "that's scary."

"—then he wouldn't particularly mind if Mikan was _participating in the Valentine's Day carnival in the maid cafe_, would he?"

A crash comes from behind them as Natsume gazes at her in suspended disbelief, his ridiculously generous Special-Star lunch in a shattered heap on the floor.

Ruka buries his face in his hands.

"Oops," Hokaru says with a distinctly unapologetic smile.

**:.:**

The Valentine's Day carnival should be banned, Natsume thinks furiously as he storms towards the classroom. Everyone seems to pick up on the dark aura surrounding him, clearing a path for him to walk through even more readily than usual.

The carnival is a relatively minor one-day event held every Valentine's Day in Alice Academy, started just three years ago, courtesy of a certain teacher with an ambiguous gender and even more questionable intentions. The clubs and societies in the high school division all come up with booths and activities. It's only open to middle schoolers and above to attend, and the events consist, in addition to couple-themed activities like the choir club's _serenata _romantic boat rides down the river, primarily of booths selling chocolates, flowers, last-minute Valentine's day gifts, as well as other staples like dessert shops (which mainly offer disgustingly sweet cakes which have unfortunate tendencies to spew confetti or sparkles or gold dust), Valentine's message delivery services, fortune-telling (that is eerily accurate, which may not necessarily be a good thing) and, of course, the ever-popular maid cafes.

The past three carnivals were spent with Ruka making fun of the _idiot_ girls who participated in the maid cafes, because, _honestly_, who would actually do that? And now one of those idiots is going to be the girl he may or may not have had a crush on for the past six years.

Honestly, life really, really sucks.

"Nat-su-_me_, good morning!" Mikan greets in her usual cheery singsong, apparently oblivious to the antagonism practically radiating from his person. His expression almost softens at the innocent smile on her face.

And then he remembers that that innocent smile is going to be directed at incompetent, sleazy, hormonal high school boys, and his expression freezes back into a scowl.

"You," he says, narrowing his eyes. "You're going to be participating in the maid cafe. In the Valentine's Day carnival. _You_."

"Mm-hmm," Mikan hums noncommittally, already distracted, "_Hotaruuu_, did you help me get breakfast?"

"Get your alarm clock fixed," is all she says, before handing over a paper bag. Natsume glares at the intruder, who looks perfectly calm except for a tiny smirk, and Natsume's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Did this whole maid cafe thing," he begins carefully, "happen to be a suggestion of _Imai's_?"

"Of course it did!" Mikan chirps cheerfully, linking arms with her reluctant best friend. "She's organising it for her Astronomy club, after all! And she let me join!"

Hotaru stops trying to shake Mikan's arm off and instead takes the opportunity to grin at Natsume.

"You're welcome, Hyuuga," Hotaru says in a falsely friendly voice, "I know how _supportive_ you always are of Mikan's social activities."

_Checkmate_.

* * *

><p>Okay, so I haven't actually attempted to do multi-chaptered stuff in ages. It's probably been years, really, since the last time I've actually completed something more than two chapters long. I'm planning for this to be at least three to five chapters long which, <em>okay<em>, is still not that much, but it's already a huge step for me, so yeah. Please be supportive :)

Cheers, and don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2

"I feel stupid."

"You are stupid," Natsume retorts. "Shut up and keep your head down, or we'll get caught."

It's a lovely Saturday afternoon, perfect for a game of basketball or making a trip down to Central Town. Unfortunately, because of one irritatingly obstinate not-boyfriend, they were stuck under the window-sill outside the Astronomy clubroom, lying quite literally in the dirt, just to eavesdrop on the Astronomy club's plans for the Valentine's Day carnival.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Ruka mutters under his breath. "Hotaru is going to murder me. Or worse, _break up_ with me."

Natsume turns to stare at Ruka incredulously. "Your priorities are messed up."

"Hark who's talking," he hisses back. "You're the one who dragged us here to get information a girl you claim not to give two shits about." Yuu nods in agreement, and Natsume pointedly ignores them.

"Shh," Koko says excitedly, "I hear them coming. Hotaru – Mikan – Sumire – Anna – Nonoko. I think that's it."

"So," Nonoko's voice floated down to the boys, "we're not doing half bad, so far. Anna and I've come up with a rough idea for a menu, and I suppose you've done your job on the part of the maids?"

"Mhm." Ruka can practically hear Hotaru shrug unconcernedly. "We're still lacking one, but worst comes to worst, I can always get Hyuuga or Ruka to help out."

Nonoko and Anna giggle. Natsume grits his teeth.

"Ruka'll help out, for sure," Sumire says dismissively, "he worships you. But Hyuuga?"

"I will not," Natsume mutters under his breath at the same time as Ruka makes a whispered protest of "I do not!"

Ruka cranes his neck long enough to catch a glimpse of Hotaru waving a careless hand. "Well, we have Mikan, don't we? All she has to do is bat her eyelashes a few times, tilt her head to the side, maybe tear up a little –" Natsume lets out a low growl as he feels Koko's and Kitsuneme's bodies next to him begin shaking with silent laughter.

"Hotaru!" Mikan cries in disapproval. "I'm sure we don't need Natsume or Ruka-pyon to cross-dress as maids."

"Ruka looks adorable in dresses, though," Sumire says dreamily, "I still kept the photos of him in Mikan's school uniform—"

"Well, to be fair," Mikan points out, "Ruka-pyon looks good in everything. I mean – if you don't mind me saying, Hotaru – he's the best looking guy in the school." Ruka blushes, and Natsume shoots him a glare that is absolutely _poisonous_.

Hotaru just shrugs and grins. "I know. But don't let Hyuuga hear you saying that." She shoots her best friend a sideways glance, only to sigh as she realises that Mikan's attention has already shifted away from the topic of the boys.

"Huh?" Mikan says absently. "Oh, by the way, I just remembered. Hana-chan and Sayu-chan mentioned we'll be trying on the costumes'll tomorrow, at the Technical-Type classroom block, after class at three."

"Okay, so," Hotaru summarises, "One more member. We can hold interviews right before the fitting, so maybe around two? Anna and Nonoko, confirm the dishes by Wednesday. Sumire, prepare the design for the menu. We need people to help with moving the furniture and stuff, too, so Mikan, go get Hyuuga."

"Me?" she protests. "Why me?" Hotaru shrugs indifferently.

"Because he's a pushover when it comes to you." Anna and Nonoko nod in agreement. "Remember when you convinced him to do that K-pop dance thing –" Natsume feels his face heating up as Koko, Kitsuneme and Yuu turn to him questioningly.

"I get it," Mikan cuts in hastily. "And if he refuses?"

"Well, it's not like he can burn you," Hotaru points out. "Or, you know, you can just do that _thing_ you did that time at the Christmas ball –"

"The conversation has ended," Mikan cuts in, with an uncharacteristic firmness. "We are _leaving_."

The voices fade as the girls file out of the classroom. Once they hear the telltale click of the doors closing, the boys give a collective sigh of relief as they begin sitting up and brushing leaves off their clothes.

Once they're done, they almost simultaneously turn to Natsume, whose looks distinctly sulky.

"So," Yuu says, "that was enlightening. So, tomorrow, two o'clock -"

"Ruka, you wore Mikan's school uniform?" Kitsuneme interrupts incredulously.

"Natsume, you danced to _K-pop_?" Ruka demands.

"Would you _can_ it_, Mr. Best-looking-guy-in-the-school_," Natsume snaps.

**:.:**

Ruka's generally a patient guy. He's nice, and everything. He can put up with quite a lot: although, to be fair, with Natsume as his best friend and Hotaru as his girlfriend, he's had quite a bit of practice. But even so, he has his limits, and going incognito as one of the applicants for the maid café is pushing it.

Unluckily for him, Natsume has also had quite a bit of practice – in pushing his best friend over the edge.

"This is never going to work," he declares. Sayu, the Gender-Manipulation Alice from Mikan's Special Ability class, scoffs as she prods thoughtfully at Ruka's newly waist-length curls.

"My Alice always works," she declares, folding her arms. "And, Ruka-kun, your features are already naturally pretty, so honestly it wasn't all that hard."

"Yeah, Ruka," Koko says with a smirk, "naturally pretty. If you were a girl, I'd so –"

"If we're done discussing Ruka's extraordinary aesthetic appeal, regardless of gender," Natsume interrupts, tone dripping with uncharacteristic sarcasm and plainly still bitter from Mikan's earlier offhand comment, "could we get on with it."

Yuu clears his throat. "Yes. Okay. So, Ruka, you're a second-year middle school student with an Animal Communication Alice –"

"—I still think that's pretty obvious –"

"_Stop_ interrupting," Yuu says irritably. "Anyway. You go in. You get interviewed. You pass the interview. You gather inside information about them before screwing up deliberately – _I don't know,_ Ruka, just like rip a dress or smash a plate or something – and then you get kicked out. Then you share that inside information with us and we formulate a strategy to ruin the plans for the maid café."

Ruka stares around the room. "And no-one is going to tell Hotaru about this, right?"

"Yes," they chorus in reply.

"And after this particular part of the strategy," Ruka continues, "I 'm not going to be involved in the actual, direct plans associated with the destruction of the maid café, whether in the form of property damage, blackmail, theft of intellectual property, sabotage –"

"We get it," Natsume says irritably. "_Yes_, Ruka."

"Whatever, then," Ruka mutters. "I'll do it."

_I'm so going to regret this._

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT CHAPTER:<strong>

"You mean to say," Natsume says, disbelievingly, "she's doing this for _money?_" He shakes his head. "If she needed money, all she had to do was ask. I could've given her some."

"Yeah, well," Ruka says darkly, "considering what you've put me through, maybe you should give _me_ the money."

* * *

><p>Stay tuned for the next chapter - things are going to get interesting soon enough, ahaha (:<p>

Please review, I appreciate them more than you'll ever know!


	3. Chapter 3

Here's the third chapter, right after my exams as promised (: This one's dedicated to **Nikinora96** for the lovely reviews: thank you so much, they really made my day!

* * *

><p>"So, <em>Rachel<em>," Hotaru says, her eyes glinting with the appearance of a predator that has cornered its prey, "what makes you think you deserve this position?"

"Hotaru, everything seems in order," Mikan whines. "She's nice. She's pretty. Really pretty, actually." She smiles at Ruka, who has to fight the urge to blush madly.

"Yeah," Nonoko echoes. "Okay, so, anyway, the training for the maid café will be every weekday after school, for the next two weeks. We'll be ordering the ingredients straight from Central Town, the store's called Umenomiya Delights, Anna's aunt runs it and she said she'd give us a discount –"

"Shut up, you two," Hotaru orders, "I'm not done yet."

"Yeah," Sumire adds, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes, "the pay is nothing to scoff at, you know." Hotaru shoots her an irritated look. Sumire obligingly shuts up.

"The pay?" A nagging suspicion emerges in Ruka's mind. She wouldn't have done this for the money, would she?

"_Rachel_," Hotaru says sweetly, "are you feeling all right? You look a little nauseous. Do you need the washroom?"

"Huh?" Ruka asks blankly. "Um, yeah. I need to go…powder my nose." Automatically, he begins walking in the direction of the washroom.

Unfortunately, in the midst of congratulating himself on his appropriately female excuse and pondering the possibility of money being Mikan's target, he's so distracted that he doesn't stop to consider the ominous undertones of Hotaru's offhand remark.

"Rachel, _sweetie_," Hotaru calls, and Ruka freezes in his tracks at the sugar-sweet note in her voice that practically screams danger, "you're going towards the men's bathroom."

_Shit_.

**:.:**

The four boys stare at Ruka, who's back in male form and sports numerous rather impressive bruises in varying shades of blue, green and yellow, as well as a dark glare that could give Natsume a run for his money.

"They caught me," he says irritably, "I hope you're happy. Being the nice guy I am, I didn't give you guys away, but Hotaru cancelled our Valentine's Date and I got – I got _coerced_ into to being an actual maid for the fair as," he practically hisses, "_Rachel_."

Koko snickers quietly.

"Calm down –"

"Don't tell me to calm down, Natsume," Ruka says, his voice rising to the point of hysteria, "you know what happened? Hotaru got Mikan to use nullify me, and then I was stuck in a girl's school uniform as myself, and then they started with the pictures –" He points an accusing finger at his best friend. "—all because you're too much of an idiot to just ask Mikan out already."

"Guys," Yuu intervenes, ever the peacemaker, "I think we'd already concluded that Mikan makes Natsume do ridiculous things, and it's been an unspoken agreement to tolerate it for now. So Ruka, calm down."

"I don't –" Natsume begins to protest, but Yuu sends him a look so severe he actually obeys.

"Now, Ruka, the information, please." Ruka glares at the people around him and slumps back in his chair.

"They're ordering food from Umenomiya's Delights in Central Town," he says in a monotone, "and they're getting the clothes from Hana-chan, the Sewing Alice, and Sayu-chan – who, by the way, is not so happy about being made accomplice to this."

Yuu winces at the mention of his girlfriend. "Oh man."

"Also," Ruka adds, "I think she's participating in the maid café as a sort of part-time job. To make some extra cash. So she doesn't actually have any – like – _intentions_, and ruining this would likely piss her off, so maybe –"

"You mean to say," Natsume cuts him off, disbelievingly, "she's doing this for _money_?" He shakes his head. "If she needed money, all she had to do was ask. I could've given her some."

"Yeah, well," Ruka says darkly, "considering what you've put me through, maybe you should give _me_ the money."

"But are we still going through with this, then?" Yuu asks hesitantly. "Like, if we ruin her job – "

Natsume waves a hand carelessly. "Oh, no problem. We'll just make it look like an accident and pay her compensation after that. See, no problem."

"You mean you'll pay her compensation," Ruka interjects. Natsume rolls his eyes.

"Whatever," he says. "Any ideas what we should do first?"

Kitsuneme raises a hand. "We could just get rid of their costumes. Minimal destruction, minimal damage, minimal stakes, and it'd be easy."

"Oh, yeah," Koko says, warming up to the project, "We could just like get a bear or two into the café and Ruka could get them to mess up the costumes a bit. It'd have to be on the day itself, though, else they'd just get them fixed."

"Hold on," Yuu protests, "but—"

"I am not getting involved any further," Ruka says, firmly. "Not if you paid me a hundred Rabbits."

Koko grins mischievously, and slings an arm over his shoulder. "We have other ways of payment, my friend."

Ruka looks at him dubiously. "Like what?"

His ever-wide smile seems to widen ever so slightly. "Isn't your anniversary with Hotaru coming up soon?"

:.:

Koko paces back and forth across the room, looking uncannily like a general readying for a battle. "Gentlemen," he says, "Today we ready ourselves for war." He pauses impressively, and Kitsuneme cheers and whoops from the back.

He stops rather quickly at Ruka's look.

He taps the blackboard with a stick that appears to have been conjured out of nowhere, on which a crudely drawn layout of the Technical Ability building's second floor has been sketched out.

"The main classroom," he indicates the largest room on the floor, "will be where the café will be held. It will be divided by several curtains into three partitions: the kitchen, the dressing room, and the main café." He taps a small area that has been cut off from the rest with a dotted line and labelled 3. "Number 3 shows the dressing room. We'll be levitating two highly aggressive beasts in, courtesy of Kitsuneme, and they will be instructed to rip up the costumes. Then, we levitate them back out. The excuse will be that a dog that Natsume was supposed to be taking care of escaped and caused the damage. Natsume will then pay compensation to the Astronomy Club, specifically Mikan, to ensure minimal losses, and face any other consequences that may result." He pauses. "Are we clear?"

Yuu raises a hand. "How did they even get the main classroom to begin with?"

"That's a stupid question," Ruka says impatiently, "it's _Hotaru Imai_, hello." There is a general murmur of agreement. "The real question is, you all do realise that I agreed to provide two labrador retrievers, not 'highly aggressive beasts', right?"

"Dammit, Ruka," Kitsuneme grumbles, "you could make a nuclear explosion seem boring."

Ruka raises his hand. "I have one more condition, by the way."

"Go on," Yuu says kindly, evidently still somewhat guilty about the ordeal that he'd faced. Ruka smirks slightly in a manner that rather ominously resembles his best friend.

"_You_," he points a finger at Natsume, who'd been peacefully reading a manga at the back of the room until that moment, "whatever the result, you are going to confess to Mikan on that day itself."

There is silence for a second, and then –

"_What_?"

* * *

><p>My A-Levels have finally ended! Which is pretty great and all, but I didn't do as well as I hoped to so I'm feeling a little down. :( Sorry if it shows in my writing, but I swear I tried. Also there's been the additional distraction of the ORAS release so I've been a little distracted hahaha!<p>

Please do leave a review! Writing a multi-chaptered fic is more taxing that I'd anticipated, so every little bit of support helps (:

Also, if you have the time, do check out my other GA fics. (: Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the third chapter of MFMC!


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